Clarence River
White Spot Disease
On February 16, a temporary control order was issued including restrictions on the movement of raw, uncooked green prawns out of the Clarence River Control Zone. Originally the control order was set to expire on the 14th June 2023, but has since been extended by a further two years, until June 2025.
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Clarence River is known for it's production of small green school prawns, which when farmed, are packaged uncooked for sale and export. These are not your normal, every day prawn, because of the size, cooking isn't an option.
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Small school prawns make up a significant portion of the Clarence Valley income, leaving trawlers and the co-op high and dry. In June the state Government announced a$21.4mil recovery package, with $9 million of the funding allocated for fee waivers, disease surveillance activities, and a dedicated mental health program for fishers and farmers.
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SFF believe not enough is being done to support the individual prawn farmer or commercial fisher, many of which rely on the farming or catching of these prawns and are facing financial ruin.
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Offering them respite in the form of fee waivers won't help fishers or prawn farmers put food on the table, it won't pay their mortgages, it won't give them a means to survive two years without income support.
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Since hearing of the relief package, immediately SFF saw the numbers didn't stack up. $21.4mil, but only around $9mil was noted in the breakdown. Where is the remaining $12.4mil going? We have been pushing the Government for further income support through meetings with the Minister and Department of Primary Industries, to better assist people on the ground. We know that they can do better.
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Below are transcripts of my contributions to the issue.
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28th June - Question to the Minister
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